February 2026 Exhibit
Low Tide
Corey Arnold & Martin Machado
February 14 – March 9
Opening Saturday, February 14th, 5 – 8 pm in connection with Astoria Artwalk is a new collection of photographs and paintings by Corey Arnold and Martin Machado. They bring Low Tide; an exhibition held in conjunction with the 2026 annual FisherPoets Gathering and in honor of the importance of the maritime industry and its history to our region. Once again, we bring together the work of photographer/commercial fisherman, Corey Arnold of White Salmon, Washington and painter/ fisherman/merchant marine, Martin Machado from San Francisco who share their love of the sea through chosen medium, merging their dual careers. Both artists are internationally respected having fished, sailed, and exhibited their work globally. Also included to this special exhibition held in conjunction with the annual Fisherpoets Gathering is Friends of Graveyard Point, a small collection of paintings and photographs by fellow fishing friends of Arnold and Machado.
In addition, opening Saturday, February 14th in our Front Gallery is a solo exhibition by Sara Tabbert of Fairbanks, Alaska. Known as a woodblock printmaker, her work has steadily evolved over the years into mixed media wall hung panels incorporating marquetry, a historic woodworking technique in which detailed design is applied to surface with wood veneer. Tabbert also includes relief carved and painted wood panels to her exhibition. This series, titled Notes from a Moving Line, is specifically about her observations from daily walks along the creek Big Eldorado that runs through the land where she lives. Sara will be at the gallery 5 – 8 pm, Saturday, February 14th and available to answer questions about her work. Both exhibitions will be on view through March 9th.
Longtime friends Corey Arnold and Martin Machado have much in common. Besides enjoying success as artists, both share a love of the sea and have cultivated careers that balance and inspire them professionally through maintaining constant connection to the world’s oceans. Arnold who’s chosen medium is photography brings a collection of images from his many years spent working as a commercial fisherman, always with his camera close by. Machado who has worked both as a merchant mariner and fisherman is a painter and printmaker and includes his paintings to this exhibition, specifically paintings inspired by his colleagues. Both artists bring intimate portraits of fellow fishermen for this exhibition, along with paintings and photographs inspired by time spent fishing Bristol Bay at Graveyard Point, Alaska.
Corey Arnold began fishing as a child, about the same time he first picked up a camera. What began as a weekend family adventure quickly became a permanent part of life. Arnold began fishing commercially in 1995 as a deckhand aboard various vessels and skiffs in Alaska. His career as a fine art photographer and fisherman has taken him far, both documenting and fishing the world’s oceans. Despite his international success as a photographer, Arnold returns every summer to Bristol Bay where he captains a skiff, fishing for salmon.
Arnold’s work is without doubt a celebration of the lifestyle of the fisherman. Through his lens he captures the raw and rugged reality of hard work, with brutal and honest images that depict both danger and beauty, sometimes in the same moment. About this series he states: “Low Tide is a photographic exploration of life at sea in Alaska, and the community, camaraderie, and moments of grace one experiences as a seasonal harvester of seafood.” Arnold has worked seasonally as a commercial fisherman for 30 years and now runs a set gillnet operation out of an abandoned cannery at Graveyard Point, photographing while he works and sometimes joining friends in other fisheries. This series is about those experiences and the people he works with.
Arnold, who graduated from the University of Art Academy in San Francisco has enjoyed a diverse and exciting career. His series Fish-Work was launched after receiving a commission from the PEW Charitable Foundation, taking him to Europe, and photographing from aboard fishing vessels in eight European countries. He has also been awarded an American Scandinavian Foundation grant which led to the documentation of the work of fishermen in Northern Norway. His work has been exhibited in Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York as well as numerous other venues worldwide, and published in Harpers, The New Yorker, New York Times LENS, Art Ltd, Rolling Stone, Time, Outside, National Geographic, Mare, and The Paris Review, among others. He is a recipient of a Hallie Ford Foundation Fellowship, a National Geographic Explorer Storytelling Grant, and the first-place award winner for the nature category of the World Press Review’s annual photography competition. Arnold has published two books of photography by Nazraeli Press including Fish-Work: The Bering Sea, and Fishing with My Dad. He is represented by Charles A. Hartman Fine Art in Portland, Oregon.
Martin Machado earned his MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and like Arnold has always held a lifelong love of the sea. He too has cultivated multiple careers that merge, one providing inspiration to fuel the other. Machado brings a series of paintings that, like Arnold’s work, provide a window into a world most of us will never experience. His work directly reflects his time spent at sea as a merchant marine, a commercial fisherman and sailor. Working wherever he could cultivate space, sometimes within his cabin aboard a freighter, the cockpit of a sailboat, and even between net sets in Alaska. About his work he states: “My art works of course are not just about these two experiences, though they are often the jumping off points, they are often not even about the sea. My work is just as much about the forgetting of an experience, the blurring of time and place that happens within our memory. On this planet we are all seafarers of sorts, navigating our way through our modern lives. In my work I aim to celebrate the human spirit, especially among working class communities, and evoke a sense of awe and respect for our natural world.”
For this exhibition Machado brings paintings from his “Wake Series” oil paintings that as the series title suggests, focus on the abstracted element of churning or upwelling of water, the quickly erased footprint of a ship as it cuts through current. Besides the “Wake Series” Machado brings several smaller scale paintings portraying a closer look at life at sea from different personal perspectives, including paintings of mariners he has worked alongside. Specific to this series he states: “I wanted to try to focus on small portraits of the fishing folks that make up this community. I wish I had more time to paint them all, every single one is a character. The people that make up this community are vivacious and fiercely independent and replenish my soul on an annual basis. I like to think about this slice of existence that I’m witnessing in this place I’ve grown to know so well, and all the generations that came before to meet the salmon each summer. There is such a powerful energy to this salmon run, and I believe a lot of that strength is transferred to the people who fish there, both in sustenance and in spirit.”
Machado’s work has been featured in The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times Magazine, Juxapoz, New American Paintings, and The Surfer’s Journal. His work has been exhibited stateside from Seattle to New York, and internationally Chili, Malaysia, Scotland, and Mexico. His work was also included to a group exhibition at the prestigious deYoung Museum, San Francisco, CA.
Martin Machado and Corey Arnold have fished in the same set net community in Bristol Bay each summer for nearly two decades, “sharing the incredible highs and lows that come with fishing the most powerful natural fish run on earth from ridiculously tiny skiffs.” For their third exhibition together at Imogen, Arnold and Machado have invited a select group of fellow Graveyard fishing folks with artistic skills of their own to hang some of their works. This collection is by: Billie Delaney, Wesley Smith, Alex Wakeman, Stephen Amato, Gabbie Caspar, Derrick Fore, and Craig Voligny.
Imogen also presents a long-awaited third exhibition for Sara Tabbert from Fairbanks, Alaska. Tabbert, highly respected for her printmaking, brings a new series of both relief carved wood panels as well as wood panels incorporating marquetry. This series, Notes from a Moving Line considers landscape and Tabbert’s own observations of the landscape she lives within. About this series she states: “These pieces were generated from my daily walking route along a creek that runs through the land where I live. A walk in the morning is often a completely different experience than one in the evening. This landscape is always in flux. The creek’s surface changes in color all the time — bright white, sunset pink, acid green and yellow, a deep red-orange, and muddy browns that reflect the sky and surrounding landscape. There is sound and motion of breakup and runoff, and the slow settling and stilling of freeze-up, the almost incomprehensible surge of mosquitoes in mid-summer. From a distance, it’s a small, unremarkable, possibly unappealing landscape. On closer view and with attention, it is a wonderland.”
The focus of this exhibition will be Tabbert’s cedar relief wood panels that are carved and painted. Pattern, color and texture all come together to create elegant depictions of flora and fauna. Tabbert began creating the carved panels years ago as further exploration of her printmaking process and her shifting focus to woodworking techniques. Tabbert’s finished work is indicative of a union between exacting technical skill and an endless creative vision. In every piece the viewer can enjoy the outcome of what is created from strong intuitive knowledge and carefully, calculated fine craft.
Tabbert earned her Master of Fine Arts in printmaking from the University of Nebraska and has exhibited her work extensively throughout the United States and internationally. Her work can be found in permanent public collections, including the Anchorage Museum, Denali National Park & Preserve and Oregon State University’s prestigious Art About Agriculture collection. Tabbert has also enjoyed participating in artist residencies at Denali National Park, Zion National Park, Proyecto ACE in Buenos Aires, Argentina and at the Santa Reparata School of Art in Florence, Italy.
Low Tide
Corey Arnold & Martin Machado
February 14 – March 9
Opening Saturday, February 14th, 5 – 8 pm in connection with Astoria Artwalk is a new collection of photographs and paintings by Corey Arnold and Martin Machado. They bring Low Tide; an exhibition held in conjunction with the 2026 annual FisherPoets Gathering and in honor of the importance of the maritime industry and its history to our region. Once again, we bring together the work of photographer/commercial fisherman, Corey Arnold of White Salmon, Washington and painter/ fisherman/merchant marine, Martin Machado from San Francisco who share their love of the sea through chosen medium, merging their dual careers. Both artists are internationally respected having fished, sailed, and exhibited their work globally. Also included to this special exhibition held in conjunction with the annual Fisherpoets Gathering is Friends of Graveyard Point, a small collection of paintings and photographs by fellow fishing friends of Arnold and Machado.
In addition, opening Saturday, February 14th in our Front Gallery is a solo exhibition by Sara Tabbert of Fairbanks, Alaska. Known as a woodblock printmaker, her work has steadily evolved over the years into mixed media wall hung panels incorporating marquetry, a historic woodworking technique in which detailed design is applied to surface with wood veneer. Tabbert also includes relief carved and painted wood panels to her exhibition. This series, titled Notes from a Moving Line, is specifically about her observations from daily walks along the creek Big Eldorado that runs through the land where she lives. Sara will be at the gallery 5 – 8 pm, Saturday, February 14th and available to answer questions about her work. Both exhibitions will be on view through March 9th.
Longtime friends Corey Arnold and Martin Machado have much in common. Besides enjoying success as artists, both share a love of the sea and have cultivated careers that balance and inspire them professionally through maintaining constant connection to the world’s oceans. Arnold who’s chosen medium is photography brings a collection of images from his many years spent working as a commercial fisherman, always with his camera close by. Machado who has worked both as a merchant mariner and fisherman is a painter and printmaker and includes his paintings to this exhibition, specifically paintings inspired by his colleagues. Both artists bring intimate portraits of fellow fishermen for this exhibition, along with paintings and photographs inspired by time spent fishing Bristol Bay at Graveyard Point, Alaska.
Corey Arnold began fishing as a child, about the same time he first picked up a camera. What began as a weekend family adventure quickly became a permanent part of life. Arnold began fishing commercially in 1995 as a deckhand aboard various vessels and skiffs in Alaska. His career as a fine art photographer and fisherman has taken him far, both documenting and fishing the world’s oceans. Despite his international success as a photographer, Arnold returns every summer to Bristol Bay where he captains a skiff, fishing for salmon.
Arnold’s work is without doubt a celebration of the lifestyle of the fisherman. Through his lens he captures the raw and rugged reality of hard work, with brutal and honest images that depict both danger and beauty, sometimes in the same moment. About this series he states: “Low Tide is a photographic exploration of life at sea in Alaska, and the community, camaraderie, and moments of grace one experiences as a seasonal harvester of seafood.” Arnold has worked seasonally as a commercial fisherman for 30 years and now runs a set gillnet operation out of an abandoned cannery at Graveyard Point, photographing while he works and sometimes joining friends in other fisheries. This series is about those experiences and the people he works with.
Arnold, who graduated from the University of Art Academy in San Francisco has enjoyed a diverse and exciting career. His series Fish-Work was launched after receiving a commission from the PEW Charitable Foundation, taking him to Europe, and photographing from aboard fishing vessels in eight European countries. He has also been awarded an American Scandinavian Foundation grant which led to the documentation of the work of fishermen in Northern Norway. His work has been exhibited in Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York as well as numerous other venues worldwide, and published in Harpers, The New Yorker, New York Times LENS, Art Ltd, Rolling Stone, Time, Outside, National Geographic, Mare, and The Paris Review, among others. He is a recipient of a Hallie Ford Foundation Fellowship, a National Geographic Explorer Storytelling Grant, and the first-place award winner for the nature category of the World Press Review’s annual photography competition. Arnold has published two books of photography by Nazraeli Press including Fish-Work: The Bering Sea, and Fishing with My Dad. He is represented by Charles A. Hartman Fine Art in Portland, Oregon.
Martin Machado earned his MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and like Arnold has always held a lifelong love of the sea. He too has cultivated multiple careers that merge, one providing inspiration to fuel the other. Machado brings a series of paintings that, like Arnold’s work, provide a window into a world most of us will never experience. His work directly reflects his time spent at sea as a merchant marine, a commercial fisherman and sailor. Working wherever he could cultivate space, sometimes within his cabin aboard a freighter, the cockpit of a sailboat, and even between net sets in Alaska. About his work he states: “My art works of course are not just about these two experiences, though they are often the jumping off points, they are often not even about the sea. My work is just as much about the forgetting of an experience, the blurring of time and place that happens within our memory. On this planet we are all seafarers of sorts, navigating our way through our modern lives. In my work I aim to celebrate the human spirit, especially among working class communities, and evoke a sense of awe and respect for our natural world.”
For this exhibition Machado brings paintings from his “Wake Series” oil paintings that as the series title suggests, focus on the abstracted element of churning or upwelling of water, the quickly erased footprint of a ship as it cuts through current. Besides the “Wake Series” Machado brings several smaller scale paintings portraying a closer look at life at sea from different personal perspectives, including paintings of mariners he has worked alongside. Specific to this series he states: “I wanted to try to focus on small portraits of the fishing folks that make up this community. I wish I had more time to paint them all, every single one is a character. The people that make up this community are vivacious and fiercely independent and replenish my soul on an annual basis. I like to think about this slice of existence that I’m witnessing in this place I’ve grown to know so well, and all the generations that came before to meet the salmon each summer. There is such a powerful energy to this salmon run, and I believe a lot of that strength is transferred to the people who fish there, both in sustenance and in spirit.”
Machado’s work has been featured in The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times Magazine, Juxapoz, New American Paintings, and The Surfer’s Journal. His work has been exhibited stateside from Seattle to New York, and internationally Chili, Malaysia, Scotland, and Mexico. His work was also included to a group exhibition at the prestigious deYoung Museum, San Francisco, CA.
Martin Machado and Corey Arnold have fished in the same set net community in Bristol Bay each summer for nearly two decades, “sharing the incredible highs and lows that come with fishing the most powerful natural fish run on earth from ridiculously tiny skiffs.” For their third exhibition together at Imogen, Arnold and Machado have invited a select group of fellow Graveyard fishing folks with artistic skills of their own to hang some of their works. This collection is by: Billie Delaney, Wesley Smith, Alex Wakeman, Stephen Amato, Gabbie Caspar, Derrick Fore, and Craig Voligny.
Imogen also presents a long-awaited third exhibition for Sara Tabbert from Fairbanks, Alaska. Tabbert, highly respected for her printmaking, brings a new series of both relief carved wood panels as well as wood panels incorporating marquetry. This series, Notes from a Moving Line considers landscape and Tabbert’s own observations of the landscape she lives within. About this series she states: “These pieces were generated from my daily walking route along a creek that runs through the land where I live. A walk in the morning is often a completely different experience than one in the evening. This landscape is always in flux. The creek’s surface changes in color all the time — bright white, sunset pink, acid green and yellow, a deep red-orange, and muddy browns that reflect the sky and surrounding landscape. There is sound and motion of breakup and runoff, and the slow settling and stilling of freeze-up, the almost incomprehensible surge of mosquitoes in mid-summer. From a distance, it’s a small, unremarkable, possibly unappealing landscape. On closer view and with attention, it is a wonderland.”
The focus of this exhibition will be Tabbert’s cedar relief wood panels that are carved and painted. Pattern, color and texture all come together to create elegant depictions of flora and fauna. Tabbert began creating the carved panels years ago as further exploration of her printmaking process and her shifting focus to woodworking techniques. Tabbert’s finished work is indicative of a union between exacting technical skill and an endless creative vision. In every piece the viewer can enjoy the outcome of what is created from strong intuitive knowledge and carefully, calculated fine craft.
Tabbert earned her Master of Fine Arts in printmaking from the University of Nebraska and has exhibited her work extensively throughout the United States and internationally. Her work can be found in permanent public collections, including the Anchorage Museum, Denali National Park & Preserve and Oregon State University’s prestigious Art About Agriculture collection. Tabbert has also enjoyed participating in artist residencies at Denali National Park, Zion National Park, Proyecto ACE in Buenos Aires, Argentina and at the Santa Reparata School of Art in Florence, Italy.
January 2026 Exhibit
Nicholas Knapton
Surfing with a Lifejacket
We are excited to welcome back Nicholas Knapton, a Pacific Northwest artist who has been balancing his career between Astoria, Oregon and Berlin, Germany for nearly three decades. For this series, Surfing with a Lifejacket, Nicholas brings paintings and drawings for his solo exhibition that takes on a more personal note. The show opens during Astoria’s Artwalk, Saturday, January 10 and Nicholas will be at the gallery that evening from 5 – 8 pm, come say hello and learn more about him and his diverse career. The exhibition will be on view through February 9.
Knapton, born in York, England and raised in Astoria, has a fascinating story. His sense of connection to home has always been strong, regardless of how far away he found himself and with the ever-present need to immerse himself in other cultures, studying other languages and always gathering knowledge from wherever he landed to then imbue into his artwork. Back now, full time in his Astoria studio he has settled and with that comes looking inward, considering personal issues as well as the world at large. He takes a keen look at life’s struggles, whether it be on a global level or internal to himself and how those can relate.
Knapton continues with his recognizable direct and edgy abstract style, however within this series he brings brighter color to his palette. Gone is the moody darkness inspired by old gritty Astoria and war-torn East Berlin, instead turning to a more playful upbeat pallet, perhaps reflecting a hopeful future that we all look towards. His style still contains reference to the avant garde German Expressionist movement, an inescapable influence from his years living in Berlin within the rebellious counterculture, after the Wall came down and the unification of the country.
About this series he states: “The work is about perspective—of the figure, on myself, on paper, on canvas. Ten small drawings wrestle with seizures: containment, interruption, collapse, repair. The large canvases take on the figure at scale, where the body becomes both subject and opponent. My neurologist told me that if I were to surf, I’d have to surf with a life jacket. The image is absurd, impossible, necessary. Protection and suffocation at once. That tension runs through everything: the body versus the idea, ego versus shame, resistance versus surrender.
What remains is persistence. A refusal to stop dragging the figure, and myself, back into the frame—again and again—until movement itself becomes the subject.”
Knapton, who began his art studies at Clatsop Community College under the tutelage of Royal Nebeker and Richard Rowland has balanced a career that has taken him back and forth between two very distinctive art communities, exhibiting his work here in Astoria, Portland to the other side of the Atlantic in Berlin, Paris, Estonia, and other European art houses. This dual career is what inspires him, allowing him to participate in an epicenter to creative thought while also bringing it home to a quieter village lifestyle. It is living here, in a more rural setting, that gives him space to contemplate his broader experiences, shaping and defining his focus. His experience in both communities translates to a bold painterly style where both dynamic layers of energy and spontaneity find spaces of open calm and dynamic use of color.
Knapton’s flexibility in lifestyle has allowed him experiences few will encounter. After finishing studies at Clatsop Community College, he headed to Portland where he attended Portland State University, studying under Northwest notables such as Mel Katz, Linda Wysong and Susan Harlan. With a strong core of knowledge, Knapton then jumped into the then burgeoning Berlin art scene. While in Europe he assisted with the restorations of the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, London, and participated in the Wrapped-Reichstag project by famed installation artists Christo and Jeanne Claude in Berlin. Back home, his figurative work has been juried into the annual Au Naturel International Juried Exhibition multiple times by acclaimed art professionals, including an awarded purchase prize from the college. He continues to exhibit his work both in the Northwest as well as Berlin.
Nicholas Knapton
Surfing with a Lifejacket
We are excited to welcome back Nicholas Knapton, a Pacific Northwest artist who has been balancing his career between Astoria, Oregon and Berlin, Germany for nearly three decades. For this series, Surfing with a Lifejacket, Nicholas brings paintings and drawings for his solo exhibition that takes on a more personal note. The show opens during Astoria’s Artwalk, Saturday, January 10 and Nicholas will be at the gallery that evening from 5 – 8 pm, come say hello and learn more about him and his diverse career. The exhibition will be on view through February 9.
Knapton, born in York, England and raised in Astoria, has a fascinating story. His sense of connection to home has always been strong, regardless of how far away he found himself and with the ever-present need to immerse himself in other cultures, studying other languages and always gathering knowledge from wherever he landed to then imbue into his artwork. Back now, full time in his Astoria studio he has settled and with that comes looking inward, considering personal issues as well as the world at large. He takes a keen look at life’s struggles, whether it be on a global level or internal to himself and how those can relate.
Knapton continues with his recognizable direct and edgy abstract style, however within this series he brings brighter color to his palette. Gone is the moody darkness inspired by old gritty Astoria and war-torn East Berlin, instead turning to a more playful upbeat pallet, perhaps reflecting a hopeful future that we all look towards. His style still contains reference to the avant garde German Expressionist movement, an inescapable influence from his years living in Berlin within the rebellious counterculture, after the Wall came down and the unification of the country.
About this series he states: “The work is about perspective—of the figure, on myself, on paper, on canvas. Ten small drawings wrestle with seizures: containment, interruption, collapse, repair. The large canvases take on the figure at scale, where the body becomes both subject and opponent. My neurologist told me that if I were to surf, I’d have to surf with a life jacket. The image is absurd, impossible, necessary. Protection and suffocation at once. That tension runs through everything: the body versus the idea, ego versus shame, resistance versus surrender.
What remains is persistence. A refusal to stop dragging the figure, and myself, back into the frame—again and again—until movement itself becomes the subject.”
Knapton, who began his art studies at Clatsop Community College under the tutelage of Royal Nebeker and Richard Rowland has balanced a career that has taken him back and forth between two very distinctive art communities, exhibiting his work here in Astoria, Portland to the other side of the Atlantic in Berlin, Paris, Estonia, and other European art houses. This dual career is what inspires him, allowing him to participate in an epicenter to creative thought while also bringing it home to a quieter village lifestyle. It is living here, in a more rural setting, that gives him space to contemplate his broader experiences, shaping and defining his focus. His experience in both communities translates to a bold painterly style where both dynamic layers of energy and spontaneity find spaces of open calm and dynamic use of color.
Knapton’s flexibility in lifestyle has allowed him experiences few will encounter. After finishing studies at Clatsop Community College, he headed to Portland where he attended Portland State University, studying under Northwest notables such as Mel Katz, Linda Wysong and Susan Harlan. With a strong core of knowledge, Knapton then jumped into the then burgeoning Berlin art scene. While in Europe he assisted with the restorations of the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, London, and participated in the Wrapped-Reichstag project by famed installation artists Christo and Jeanne Claude in Berlin. Back home, his figurative work has been juried into the annual Au Naturel International Juried Exhibition multiple times by acclaimed art professionals, including an awarded purchase prize from the college. He continues to exhibit his work both in the Northwest as well as Berlin.
December 2025 Exhibit
Hook, Pulp & Weave
A celebration of fiber as art
We’re excited to host the annual Hook, Pulp and Weave once again, a rich and diverse invitational exhibition exploring fiber as art, opening in conjunction with Astoria’s Artwalk, Saturday December 13th. Always a favorite exhibition at Imogen, this year’s annual exhibition will not disappoint. Functional and nonfunctional work will be included in this unique exhibition of textile-based arts. Color, texture, and composition form the backbone of this diverse collection designed with the gift giving season in mind. Included to this year’s exhibition is the photographic based work, printed to linen by Pamela Chipman, abstract wall hung fiber art of Susan Circone, hand cut, hand cut, stitched and painted paper forest installation by Kathy Karbo, wall hung sculpture by Kimberly Lakin, needle woven waxed linen and beaded jewelry of Celeste Olivares, Freq Flags made of reclaimed textiles by Jenny Rideout, needle felted wool sculpture by Amelia Santiago, nuno felted wraps by Julie Kern Smith, abstract felted wool sculpture by Karen Thurman, hand dyed silk scarves by Cicely Gilman, tufted pillows and rugs by Shelli Markee, wall hung fiber art by Shelly Hedges created from reclaimed materials, and hand dyed & handstitched metaphorical “Receiving Blankets” by Helga Winter. Please stop in Saturday evening, December 13th 5 – 8 pm to meet the artists. We also will be joined by Birds of a Feather, performing music for added holiday cheer, 6 – 7:30 pm. The exhibition will be on view through January 5.
Fiber based art has a long running history, with weaving techniques dating back to Neolithic times some 12,000 years ago. It is respected as one of the oldest surviving craft forms in the world that evolved from multiple cultures, including the Incans who utilized textiles as currency, which held a more prominent role than gold for trade. Native Americans, for centuries have created elaborate basketry for all uses, including vessels that were watertight, made from regionally known plant materials. Middle Eastern nomadic tribes, have been respected for intricate hand knotted rugs made of wool and silk, dating back over 4000 years, and the rich illustrative tapestries of the 14th and 15th centuries of European cultures, all helped to forge what we appreciate as textile-based art today. The term “fiber arts” came to be applied much later; post World War II with the insurgence of the craft movement. With this came the recognition of craft as fine art and the diminished idea of utilitarian needs.
Hook, Pulp & Weave is a collection of just a few examples of what textile or fiber art has evolved into. With the lessening of the importance of function, and the consideration of pure artistic expression being delivered through the fiber medium, artists have found a new voice to explore ancient arts, utilizing texture, color, and form. While some of the work included to this exhibition is functional, many pieces are based strictly on the principle of art form, utilizing fiber to create compelling and complex pieces.
We welcome back the intricate wall hung abstract compositions of Susan Circone from Portland. Her imagery places focus on subtle use of texture, pattern, and color. Coming from a career in geological sciences, her compositions are inspired by nature. Circone’s work explores the minutiae of the physical and natural world. She finds inspiration in the structures, textures, and forms observed in both organic and inorganic matter. The importance of the mundane and the microscopic, ignored, unseen, and often ephemeral, is a reminder of our temporal existence.
Pamela Chipman, also from Portland, is known primarily as a photographer. It was during the lockdown in 2020 that she began exploring with transferring her art to fiber during the pandemic. Experimenting with sun activated fiber dyes, she creates fabric prints from her negatives and local plant materials.
We are pleased to include to this year’s exhibition the beautiful hand painted silk scarves of Cicely Gilman. Focusing on rich color she brings a vibrant collection of scarves showcasing her decades of exploration of dying, painting and resist techniques.
Also joining this year’s exhibition is the remarkable Shelly Hedges, both a fiber artist and ceramic artist, she brings wall hung pieces created from collected/reclaimed fiber-based materials. Her use of color and pattern combined with intricate hand stitching with embroidery floss makes for eye pleasing small scale abstract composition. Come check out her amazing ceramics while you’re here, utilizing monotype paper transfer glazing techniques.
Kathy Karbo includes her latest series of hand cut, stitched and painted 3-dimensional trees, creating mini forest installations focusing on the serene beauty of winter. This year’s collection is inspired by the rich beauty of indigo and Japanese Sashiko stitching techniques.
And new to this exhibition but not Imogen, is the tufted work of Shelli Markee. Markee, known for her elegant hand forged jewelry has shifted gears to explore the softer side of working with fiber, bringing her original designs to create tufted pillows, cushions and rugs.
Celeste Olivares of Astoria brings a new collection of her intricately needle woven beaded necklaces and earrings. Each piece is an exotic one-of-a-kind design utilizing semi-precious stones, vintage glass, and crystal, often incorporating found objects. She exquisitely combines brilliant color and form with a result of timeless and original jewelry pieces.
We are also excited to welcome back the needle felted sculpture by Astoria artist, Amelia Santiago. Her lifelike large scale figurative sculpture is created with careful attention to detail. She creates solid wool sculpture by hand, a painstaking process of forming felted wool through needle work into realistic creatures, this year focusing on man’s best friend, our canine friends. Amelia is known for both her work with wool as well as her other love, painting.
Julie Kern Smith of Portland returns with her rich and sophisticated wraps made of nuno felted wool and repurposed silk from vintage scarves and kimonos. Her choice of materials is exquisitely brought together through fusion of fiber, creating elegant and tactile wearable art forms.
Kimberly Lakin of Portland returns with her wall hung fabric pieces. She enjoys working with fiber medium for its tactile and sculptural qualities, describing it as the line between two and three dimensions. Utilizing traditional techniques in non-traditional ways, she creates intricate abstract compositions emulating nature.
We also welcome back the work of Jenny Rideout, formerly of Portland who now is happy to call Astoria home. She brings a new series of “Sails and Freq Flags” all created to aid in navigation within a mythical world, fusing the ancient with the futuristic. Utilizing reclaimed textiles and hand drawn elements, each piece tells a visual story with flora, fauna and symbol, thoughtfully brought together to create rich and dynamic compositions.
Also included to this year’s exhibition is the felted abstract wool sculpture of Karen Thurman from Portland. Her spectacular use of color enhances her playful forms based on animal and plant life. She brings free standing sculpture to this year’s show.
We are excited to welcome back the work of Helga Winter, known for her wood turned vessels, she’s spent the past decade focusing on fiber as her chosen medium. She brings a series of “Receiving Blankets”, wall hung pieces created from dyed and stitched fabrics, offering the idea of comfort and security.
Hook, Pulp & Weave
A celebration of fiber as art
We’re excited to host the annual Hook, Pulp and Weave once again, a rich and diverse invitational exhibition exploring fiber as art, opening in conjunction with Astoria’s Artwalk, Saturday December 13th. Always a favorite exhibition at Imogen, this year’s annual exhibition will not disappoint. Functional and nonfunctional work will be included in this unique exhibition of textile-based arts. Color, texture, and composition form the backbone of this diverse collection designed with the gift giving season in mind. Included to this year’s exhibition is the photographic based work, printed to linen by Pamela Chipman, abstract wall hung fiber art of Susan Circone, hand cut, hand cut, stitched and painted paper forest installation by Kathy Karbo, wall hung sculpture by Kimberly Lakin, needle woven waxed linen and beaded jewelry of Celeste Olivares, Freq Flags made of reclaimed textiles by Jenny Rideout, needle felted wool sculpture by Amelia Santiago, nuno felted wraps by Julie Kern Smith, abstract felted wool sculpture by Karen Thurman, hand dyed silk scarves by Cicely Gilman, tufted pillows and rugs by Shelli Markee, wall hung fiber art by Shelly Hedges created from reclaimed materials, and hand dyed & handstitched metaphorical “Receiving Blankets” by Helga Winter. Please stop in Saturday evening, December 13th 5 – 8 pm to meet the artists. We also will be joined by Birds of a Feather, performing music for added holiday cheer, 6 – 7:30 pm. The exhibition will be on view through January 5.
Fiber based art has a long running history, with weaving techniques dating back to Neolithic times some 12,000 years ago. It is respected as one of the oldest surviving craft forms in the world that evolved from multiple cultures, including the Incans who utilized textiles as currency, which held a more prominent role than gold for trade. Native Americans, for centuries have created elaborate basketry for all uses, including vessels that were watertight, made from regionally known plant materials. Middle Eastern nomadic tribes, have been respected for intricate hand knotted rugs made of wool and silk, dating back over 4000 years, and the rich illustrative tapestries of the 14th and 15th centuries of European cultures, all helped to forge what we appreciate as textile-based art today. The term “fiber arts” came to be applied much later; post World War II with the insurgence of the craft movement. With this came the recognition of craft as fine art and the diminished idea of utilitarian needs.
Hook, Pulp & Weave is a collection of just a few examples of what textile or fiber art has evolved into. With the lessening of the importance of function, and the consideration of pure artistic expression being delivered through the fiber medium, artists have found a new voice to explore ancient arts, utilizing texture, color, and form. While some of the work included to this exhibition is functional, many pieces are based strictly on the principle of art form, utilizing fiber to create compelling and complex pieces.
We welcome back the intricate wall hung abstract compositions of Susan Circone from Portland. Her imagery places focus on subtle use of texture, pattern, and color. Coming from a career in geological sciences, her compositions are inspired by nature. Circone’s work explores the minutiae of the physical and natural world. She finds inspiration in the structures, textures, and forms observed in both organic and inorganic matter. The importance of the mundane and the microscopic, ignored, unseen, and often ephemeral, is a reminder of our temporal existence.
Pamela Chipman, also from Portland, is known primarily as a photographer. It was during the lockdown in 2020 that she began exploring with transferring her art to fiber during the pandemic. Experimenting with sun activated fiber dyes, she creates fabric prints from her negatives and local plant materials.
We are pleased to include to this year’s exhibition the beautiful hand painted silk scarves of Cicely Gilman. Focusing on rich color she brings a vibrant collection of scarves showcasing her decades of exploration of dying, painting and resist techniques.
Also joining this year’s exhibition is the remarkable Shelly Hedges, both a fiber artist and ceramic artist, she brings wall hung pieces created from collected/reclaimed fiber-based materials. Her use of color and pattern combined with intricate hand stitching with embroidery floss makes for eye pleasing small scale abstract composition. Come check out her amazing ceramics while you’re here, utilizing monotype paper transfer glazing techniques.
Kathy Karbo includes her latest series of hand cut, stitched and painted 3-dimensional trees, creating mini forest installations focusing on the serene beauty of winter. This year’s collection is inspired by the rich beauty of indigo and Japanese Sashiko stitching techniques.
And new to this exhibition but not Imogen, is the tufted work of Shelli Markee. Markee, known for her elegant hand forged jewelry has shifted gears to explore the softer side of working with fiber, bringing her original designs to create tufted pillows, cushions and rugs.
Celeste Olivares of Astoria brings a new collection of her intricately needle woven beaded necklaces and earrings. Each piece is an exotic one-of-a-kind design utilizing semi-precious stones, vintage glass, and crystal, often incorporating found objects. She exquisitely combines brilliant color and form with a result of timeless and original jewelry pieces.
We are also excited to welcome back the needle felted sculpture by Astoria artist, Amelia Santiago. Her lifelike large scale figurative sculpture is created with careful attention to detail. She creates solid wool sculpture by hand, a painstaking process of forming felted wool through needle work into realistic creatures, this year focusing on man’s best friend, our canine friends. Amelia is known for both her work with wool as well as her other love, painting.
Julie Kern Smith of Portland returns with her rich and sophisticated wraps made of nuno felted wool and repurposed silk from vintage scarves and kimonos. Her choice of materials is exquisitely brought together through fusion of fiber, creating elegant and tactile wearable art forms.
Kimberly Lakin of Portland returns with her wall hung fabric pieces. She enjoys working with fiber medium for its tactile and sculptural qualities, describing it as the line between two and three dimensions. Utilizing traditional techniques in non-traditional ways, she creates intricate abstract compositions emulating nature.
We also welcome back the work of Jenny Rideout, formerly of Portland who now is happy to call Astoria home. She brings a new series of “Sails and Freq Flags” all created to aid in navigation within a mythical world, fusing the ancient with the futuristic. Utilizing reclaimed textiles and hand drawn elements, each piece tells a visual story with flora, fauna and symbol, thoughtfully brought together to create rich and dynamic compositions.
Also included to this year’s exhibition is the felted abstract wool sculpture of Karen Thurman from Portland. Her spectacular use of color enhances her playful forms based on animal and plant life. She brings free standing sculpture to this year’s show.
We are excited to welcome back the work of Helga Winter, known for her wood turned vessels, she’s spent the past decade focusing on fiber as her chosen medium. She brings a series of “Receiving Blankets”, wall hung pieces created from dyed and stitched fabrics, offering the idea of comfort and security.
November 2025 Exhibit
Facing You, Exhibition Exploring Humanituy through Portraiture
Imogen is pleased to be presenting its eleventh annual invitational exhibition exploring humanity through portraiture. This year’s exhibition will include the paintings of Portland based artists Reed Clarke, Patricia L. Giraud and Ruth Shively as well as local talent of Michael Conner, Yasmina Nysten, and Amelia Santiago; all exploring the essence of humanity. This evocative collection moves beyond a surface glance of an individual, inviting the viewer a step closer and to consider the underlying. Perhaps even to see ourselves through the eyes of others and what it means to be a part of humankind. Each portrait tells a story; we invite you to take part. The exhibition opens during Astoria’s Second Saturday Artwalk, November 8th, 12:00 – 8:00 pm and will be on view through December 8th. Artists will be at the gallery from 5 – 8 pm, November 8th and available to answer questions about their work.
Many artists at some point in their career have placed focus on the human form as subject matter, for some it is a practice of study, for others it’s a means to participate with humanity on a more intimate level. All of these artists fall into that category. Portraiture becomes a vehicle utilized to explore deeper reflection of who we are and what we convey via nonverbal communication, simply by stance, expression, or direction of gaze. These artists, all incredibly skilled with chosen medium bring suggestion of story and history through portrayal of individuals.
Reed Clarke of Portland, Oregon has dedicated much of his career as a fine artist, painting others. Often his subjects are known literary greats but just as often, Clarke also creates his own characters, referencing people he’s observed in daily life while bringing in elements to create dynamic composition. Known for his skill as a painter and printmaker, he has had his work juried into Clatsop Community College’s prestigious Au Naturel: Nudes in the 21st Century exhibition several years running, receiving a first prize award as well as a purchase award from CCC. His skill is apparent in the nuance of palette to create mood and emotion through an intimate look and consideration into another’s experience, perhaps with a goal of fostering greater understanding and acceptance of who we are. About his work Clarke states: “Faces and figures inhabit all my paintings and when I try to stray from this subject something I can’t resist always calls me back. In my work I hope to elicit a statement about being human that is familiar and also seems impossible to say as clearly or completely in other media. When possible, I seek to emphasize the geometric shapes formed by different parts of the composition and bring out the abstract surface rhythms of the composition. Ultimately however, I’m striving for a balance between recording a human subject that is compelling and creating a paint surface on the canvas that engages and rewards the viewer.”
This year we also include the acrylic and ink paintings of Michael Conner, an artist and poet residing on the Long Beach Peninsula. His work, while not necessarily traditional portraiture brings a philosophical flair through distinct design elements utilizing color and line. Like Reed Clarke, Michael also takes great inspiration from the great poets such as Baudelaire, Rimbaud and Artaud. He looks to combine his interests in the written word with the visual language and as such, cites the work of the impressionists, dadaist, surrealists and specifically the artist Egon Schiele for his inspiration. About his process and perspective on art he states: “Art is a state of grace where the moment becomes synchronized and moves through this fragile existence filling the soul. Life itself becomes conceptualized and perceived as a work of art revealing itself.”
We are excited to welcome back Patricia L. Giraud to this year’s exhibition. An accomplished print maker from Portland, Giraud includes her intaglio prints focusing on the human form. Taking inspiration from the natural world she places the figure within the landscape. While not necessarily traditional portraiture, her figurative work depicts a somewhat mysterious quality, conjuring a deep sense of nostalgia. About her work she states: “Intaglio offers a variety of techniques with which to express anatomy, forms shaped by light and shadow, large forces at work and intimate moments.” Giraud’s work has been widely exhibited with her work placed in collections throughout the US, Canada, and England.
Also included to this year’s exhibition are the evocative oil paintings by Yasmina Nysten a Finnish/Lebanese artist. Nysten, who now calls Astoria home, brings several paintings, showcasing her vast experience in figurative painting. Typically taking a narrative approach and alluding to storytelling she keeps focus on the individual portrayed. Vivid and striking color adds to an overall mood, setting the tone for each piece. About her work she states: “The evolution of my artistic process has been marked by a dynamic interplay between intentionality and serendipity. While I’ve explored a wide array of mediums—acrylic, oil, markers, ink, and more—the one unchanging element that threads through all my work is a deep, unwavering preoccupation with the human form as the central subject, the axis around which my explorations and experiments inevitably revolve.” Nysten has exhibited her work extensively across the globe, including an exhibition in Qatar and previously in Beirut, Paris, Dubai and New York City as well as many other art venues throughout the world.
We also welcome back the work of Amelia Santiago. Santiago, who lives in Astoria, is not new to Imogen, some may recall her incredible felt sculpture of our canine friends and other elaborate needle felted wool sculptural pieces. She balances her work as a fiber artist equally with her love of the painting process. After graduating from Pacific Northwest College of Art, Santiago traveled to Iceland where she became enamored with wool fiber, this led to a decade long career of creating 3-dimensional animal portraiture. Still, she never let the process of painting stray too far. About her work and processes she states: “I have been making art my entire life and I have always been drawn to the figure, both human and animal and often the two together. To me, painting a portrait is not only about the sitter but equally about the artist as well. I see myself in the images I make, and I think about the human condition.”
Joining us again is Ruth Shively, a Portland based artist. Typically drawn to imagery of women she portrays quiet resilience and an innate sense of strength and beauty. About her work she states: “I work largely with the figure, concentrating on women. In awe of the strength women behold, I feel the need to express their character through my work. I can’t explain how I choose my subjects, I go with my instinct and immediate feelings and drawn to stark, positive/negative space. I like humor, mysteriousness, and intimate mood, wanting the viewer to make their own interpretation. I studied drawing and illustration in school but I’m a self-taught painter and prefer this medium as I love the spontaneity of the paint and using color to create space.” Shively, who grew up in the Midwest, has lived in Paris, New York City, Minneapolis and now Portland. She has exhibited her work in numerous group and solo exhibitions that have taken her from Los Angeles to New York and many venues in between.
Facing You, Exhibition Exploring Humanituy through Portraiture
Imogen is pleased to be presenting its eleventh annual invitational exhibition exploring humanity through portraiture. This year’s exhibition will include the paintings of Portland based artists Reed Clarke, Patricia L. Giraud and Ruth Shively as well as local talent of Michael Conner, Yasmina Nysten, and Amelia Santiago; all exploring the essence of humanity. This evocative collection moves beyond a surface glance of an individual, inviting the viewer a step closer and to consider the underlying. Perhaps even to see ourselves through the eyes of others and what it means to be a part of humankind. Each portrait tells a story; we invite you to take part. The exhibition opens during Astoria’s Second Saturday Artwalk, November 8th, 12:00 – 8:00 pm and will be on view through December 8th. Artists will be at the gallery from 5 – 8 pm, November 8th and available to answer questions about their work.
Many artists at some point in their career have placed focus on the human form as subject matter, for some it is a practice of study, for others it’s a means to participate with humanity on a more intimate level. All of these artists fall into that category. Portraiture becomes a vehicle utilized to explore deeper reflection of who we are and what we convey via nonverbal communication, simply by stance, expression, or direction of gaze. These artists, all incredibly skilled with chosen medium bring suggestion of story and history through portrayal of individuals.
Reed Clarke of Portland, Oregon has dedicated much of his career as a fine artist, painting others. Often his subjects are known literary greats but just as often, Clarke also creates his own characters, referencing people he’s observed in daily life while bringing in elements to create dynamic composition. Known for his skill as a painter and printmaker, he has had his work juried into Clatsop Community College’s prestigious Au Naturel: Nudes in the 21st Century exhibition several years running, receiving a first prize award as well as a purchase award from CCC. His skill is apparent in the nuance of palette to create mood and emotion through an intimate look and consideration into another’s experience, perhaps with a goal of fostering greater understanding and acceptance of who we are. About his work Clarke states: “Faces and figures inhabit all my paintings and when I try to stray from this subject something I can’t resist always calls me back. In my work I hope to elicit a statement about being human that is familiar and also seems impossible to say as clearly or completely in other media. When possible, I seek to emphasize the geometric shapes formed by different parts of the composition and bring out the abstract surface rhythms of the composition. Ultimately however, I’m striving for a balance between recording a human subject that is compelling and creating a paint surface on the canvas that engages and rewards the viewer.”
This year we also include the acrylic and ink paintings of Michael Conner, an artist and poet residing on the Long Beach Peninsula. His work, while not necessarily traditional portraiture brings a philosophical flair through distinct design elements utilizing color and line. Like Reed Clarke, Michael also takes great inspiration from the great poets such as Baudelaire, Rimbaud and Artaud. He looks to combine his interests in the written word with the visual language and as such, cites the work of the impressionists, dadaist, surrealists and specifically the artist Egon Schiele for his inspiration. About his process and perspective on art he states: “Art is a state of grace where the moment becomes synchronized and moves through this fragile existence filling the soul. Life itself becomes conceptualized and perceived as a work of art revealing itself.”
We are excited to welcome back Patricia L. Giraud to this year’s exhibition. An accomplished print maker from Portland, Giraud includes her intaglio prints focusing on the human form. Taking inspiration from the natural world she places the figure within the landscape. While not necessarily traditional portraiture, her figurative work depicts a somewhat mysterious quality, conjuring a deep sense of nostalgia. About her work she states: “Intaglio offers a variety of techniques with which to express anatomy, forms shaped by light and shadow, large forces at work and intimate moments.” Giraud’s work has been widely exhibited with her work placed in collections throughout the US, Canada, and England.
Also included to this year’s exhibition are the evocative oil paintings by Yasmina Nysten a Finnish/Lebanese artist. Nysten, who now calls Astoria home, brings several paintings, showcasing her vast experience in figurative painting. Typically taking a narrative approach and alluding to storytelling she keeps focus on the individual portrayed. Vivid and striking color adds to an overall mood, setting the tone for each piece. About her work she states: “The evolution of my artistic process has been marked by a dynamic interplay between intentionality and serendipity. While I’ve explored a wide array of mediums—acrylic, oil, markers, ink, and more—the one unchanging element that threads through all my work is a deep, unwavering preoccupation with the human form as the central subject, the axis around which my explorations and experiments inevitably revolve.” Nysten has exhibited her work extensively across the globe, including an exhibition in Qatar and previously in Beirut, Paris, Dubai and New York City as well as many other art venues throughout the world.
We also welcome back the work of Amelia Santiago. Santiago, who lives in Astoria, is not new to Imogen, some may recall her incredible felt sculpture of our canine friends and other elaborate needle felted wool sculptural pieces. She balances her work as a fiber artist equally with her love of the painting process. After graduating from Pacific Northwest College of Art, Santiago traveled to Iceland where she became enamored with wool fiber, this led to a decade long career of creating 3-dimensional animal portraiture. Still, she never let the process of painting stray too far. About her work and processes she states: “I have been making art my entire life and I have always been drawn to the figure, both human and animal and often the two together. To me, painting a portrait is not only about the sitter but equally about the artist as well. I see myself in the images I make, and I think about the human condition.”
Joining us again is Ruth Shively, a Portland based artist. Typically drawn to imagery of women she portrays quiet resilience and an innate sense of strength and beauty. About her work she states: “I work largely with the figure, concentrating on women. In awe of the strength women behold, I feel the need to express their character through my work. I can’t explain how I choose my subjects, I go with my instinct and immediate feelings and drawn to stark, positive/negative space. I like humor, mysteriousness, and intimate mood, wanting the viewer to make their own interpretation. I studied drawing and illustration in school but I’m a self-taught painter and prefer this medium as I love the spontaneity of the paint and using color to create space.” Shively, who grew up in the Midwest, has lived in Paris, New York City, Minneapolis and now Portland. She has exhibited her work in numerous group and solo exhibitions that have taken her from Los Angeles to New York and many venues in between.
October 2025 Exhibit
Painting the Pacific Northwest
Mathew Goodrich
For the month of October, we are happy to share the sublime landscape paintings of Mathew Goodrich. Working in acrylic and pastel, he echoes the known and unknown places of the region in a timeless manner, giving the feeling of sharing a walk through the eyes of the artist as he takes a daily stroll. The exhibition opens during Astoria’s Second Saturday Artwalk, Saturday October 11th from noon – 8 pm. Goodrich will be at the gallery from 5 - 8 pm that evening and available to answer questions about his work. The exhibition will remain on view through November 3rd.
Mathew Goodrich, who lives in the tiny coastal hamlet of Wheeler, Oregon brings a lush and verdant series of new landscape paintings, celebrating the exquisite beauty of the region. Mathew immerses himself within the lands he cherishes, lending a sense of nostalgia to all he creates. Due to a traumatic brain injury sustained over a decade ago, Mathew’s painting process is unlike most artists, painting from the present and in the moment. He states, “I don’t have the ability to imagine future paintings, and I can no longer carry my past with me.” His paintings are in turn love letters of the places he feels most at home.
Growing up in Portland, Oregon Mathew has always been surrounded by dramatic landscape, from the high desert of the east side of the state to the undeniable beauty of the coast, this love of terrain and adventure led him at an early age to the wilds of Alaska. A man of many hats, he has worked on tugboats, became a builder of custom homes, including log cabins before returning to Portland where he took up custom furniture building. This led to enrollment at the Oregon School of Design where he pursued a degree in architecture, it was during this time that he found his muse in oil painting. His early days of painting were firmly entrenched in abstraction. After a successful career building custom homes in Hawaii, where his injury occurred, Mathew rediscovered his love of painting during rehabilitation, not remembering that he had attended art school, the discovery was a completely new experience that was pure and from the heart. Now working in acrylic and pastel, his landscape paintings maintain that sense of discovery and honesty of what is.
About this series he states: “These paintings are a record of the wild places I visit throughout the north coast and beyond. Landscape painting affords me a subject that suits my long-standing affinity for intense color palettes and vibrant hues while still creating a sense of space and atmosphere and remaining in the abstract. My latest paintings focus on the changing word of bays and estuaries, where landscapes are liminal by their nature, and withdrawing waters leave rich pallets of shimmering mud and shallows that are chaotically strewn with the day’s flotsam and jetsam.”
Painting the Pacific Northwest
Mathew Goodrich
For the month of October, we are happy to share the sublime landscape paintings of Mathew Goodrich. Working in acrylic and pastel, he echoes the known and unknown places of the region in a timeless manner, giving the feeling of sharing a walk through the eyes of the artist as he takes a daily stroll. The exhibition opens during Astoria’s Second Saturday Artwalk, Saturday October 11th from noon – 8 pm. Goodrich will be at the gallery from 5 - 8 pm that evening and available to answer questions about his work. The exhibition will remain on view through November 3rd.
Mathew Goodrich, who lives in the tiny coastal hamlet of Wheeler, Oregon brings a lush and verdant series of new landscape paintings, celebrating the exquisite beauty of the region. Mathew immerses himself within the lands he cherishes, lending a sense of nostalgia to all he creates. Due to a traumatic brain injury sustained over a decade ago, Mathew’s painting process is unlike most artists, painting from the present and in the moment. He states, “I don’t have the ability to imagine future paintings, and I can no longer carry my past with me.” His paintings are in turn love letters of the places he feels most at home.
Growing up in Portland, Oregon Mathew has always been surrounded by dramatic landscape, from the high desert of the east side of the state to the undeniable beauty of the coast, this love of terrain and adventure led him at an early age to the wilds of Alaska. A man of many hats, he has worked on tugboats, became a builder of custom homes, including log cabins before returning to Portland where he took up custom furniture building. This led to enrollment at the Oregon School of Design where he pursued a degree in architecture, it was during this time that he found his muse in oil painting. His early days of painting were firmly entrenched in abstraction. After a successful career building custom homes in Hawaii, where his injury occurred, Mathew rediscovered his love of painting during rehabilitation, not remembering that he had attended art school, the discovery was a completely new experience that was pure and from the heart. Now working in acrylic and pastel, his landscape paintings maintain that sense of discovery and honesty of what is.
About this series he states: “These paintings are a record of the wild places I visit throughout the north coast and beyond. Landscape painting affords me a subject that suits my long-standing affinity for intense color palettes and vibrant hues while still creating a sense of space and atmosphere and remaining in the abstract. My latest paintings focus on the changing word of bays and estuaries, where landscapes are liminal by their nature, and withdrawing waters leave rich pallets of shimmering mud and shallows that are chaotically strewn with the day’s flotsam and jetsam.”
